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Research Article  |   February 1988
The Reliability of the Motor Development Checklist
Marcia Gevelinger; Kenneth J. Ottenbacher; Trina Tiffany
Author Affiliations
  • Marcia Gevelinger, MS, OTR, is Training Coordinator at the Central Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled in Wisconsin, Madison 53704
  • Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, is an Associate Professor in the Occupational Therapy Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • Trina Tiffany, OTR, is a Staff Therapist at the Central Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled in Madison, Wisconsin
Article Information
Intellectual Disabilities / Rehabilitation, Participation, and Disability / Features
Research Article   |   February 1988
The Reliability of the Motor Development Checklist
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, February 1988, Vol. 42, 81-86. doi:10.5014/ajot.42.2.81
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, February 1988, Vol. 42, 81-86. doi:10.5014/ajot.42.2.81
Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the interrater and test–retest reliability of the Motor Development Checklist (Doudlah, 1976). Thirty-six subjects with diagnosed multiple disabilities and severe and profound mental retardation were evaluated by two experienced occupational therapists. Reliability was established by means of the intraclass correlation approach, and results indicated that coefficients ranged from .93 to .99. The study results suggest that the Motor Development Checklist, when administered by experienced raters, can provide consistent information regarding the spontaneous motor performance of persons with multiple disabilities. Implications for practice and future research are briefly discussed.